


The Only One

by lrhaboggle



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: 4x22, Comfort, Comforting, Emotional, F/F, Grief, Hurt/Comfort, Lena Luthor Finds Out Kara Danvers is Supergirl, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Lesbian Lena Luthor, Long, Minor Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Minor shipping, Pain, Post Reveal, Post-Canon, ReignCorp, Sad, Sad Lena Luthor, SuperCorp, angsty, here's another rant fic from me, implied - Freeform, possibly romantic, post canon reveal, slight shipping, still dead inside from that ep, technically one shot even though it's long, wish it was canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 05:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18910921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lrhaboggle/pseuds/lrhaboggle
Summary: After Lena discovers Kara's secret in the worst way possible, she feels as though she has no one left to trust or talk to. But then she remembers... there is one other person she considers a best friend whom she knows is just as ignorant to the truth as she is (or was). This one last hope, this one last friend, of Lena's is Samantha Arias.





	1. All Alone

For all of her life, Lena had been very much alone. Even in her earliest years, back when she still had a family member out there who loved her, she had still been alone. Though she had been young, she had always been very intelligent and insightful. She was quick to pick up on the fact that she had no father (or at least, no _present_ father) and she was even quicker to pick up on the fact that this was not a good or normal thing. Her mother always tried to convince her otherwise, promising her that it was ok and that it didn't matter and that she loved Lena anyway, more than enough to fill the role of both father and mother, but it still was never enough.

Lena did believe her mother, and she did believe her mother's love, but she was not stupid or ignorant or blind. She did not believe that her lack of a father was anything other than abnormal and abominable. Even if no one ever said anything to her, she could still remember all the staring. All the whispering and pointing. Why didn't that little girl have a daddy? He must've been a bad man who ran out on the family. Or maybe mommy was the one to blame. Had she hooked up with the first man she'd ever come in contact with? All around, Lena heard the whispers, and she knew full well that it meant that she was the only one. She was not stupid or ignorant or blind, though sometimes, she wished that she were.

Then her mother died, and she was quickly taken in by another family, adopted by a man called Lionel Luthor. From then on, she lived in the Luthor household, but even there, she felt like the only one. The only one without Luthor blood. The only one who couldn't truly ever own the Luthor name. The only one who had not come directly from that line or that house. Even Lex, her loving older brother, could not appease her worry. It was her greatest fear that she would never be Luthor enough, or that she would never ever truly belong there. Lex did his best to convince her otherwise but, just like with her mother, Lena's belief only stretched so far. She believed in Lex and she believed in Lex's love, but she did not believe that she would ever truly be a Luthor. She was only a half-breed, a fake, an honorary member at best. She was alone. She was the only one.

And then Lena's wish flipped right around on its head and she began to fear that she would never _not_ be Luthor enough. She began to fear that would never ever truly be able to _shed_ the Luthor name. After Lex had gone crazy, becoming one of the most infamous people in the world, Lena had been forced to flee, to try and run and hide from her twisted legacy as a Luthor. Now, she wanted more than anything to be able to _not_ claim that name or that blood, but it was too late. The damage was done and her name was forever tied to and tarnished by the Luthor line. But she was still the only one. The only one who wasn't in jail, or dead. The only good Luthor. The only repentant and apologetic one. Still the black sheep of the family, just in a totally different way now. But she still would've done anything to feel like she belonged. Not to the Luthors, not anymore, but to the rest of society. But that was just as fruitless a dream as any other that she had ever had. She did not belong, and she was alone.

After spending years fleeing and hiding from her legacy, trying her best to outlive, outlast, outwit, outdo, outshine and outrun her past and her family name, she could not run fast enough. Her fight was a never-ending war. The closest thing she ever found to solitude, peace and refuge was in the arms of Kara Danvers, and all of her friends. They became Lena's family. Her life, her heart, her soul, her reason, her stronghold, her everything. They gave her her first good memories, her first happy moments. But even then, she still felt like an outsider, like the only one. Like the one who did not belong. All of the rest of them were so good and brave and kind and selfless and noble. What was Lena except another Luthor? And as friendly as they had been to her, she could still sense the distrust and distaste radiating off of them. Even after she managed to prove where her loyalties lay, she continued to feel like the odd-one-out, the only one. The only one who did not fully belong.

But by then, Lena was so lonely and so desperate to be loved that she was willing to do anything to get it. She took love wherever she could find it, even if it was not a good decision. She began grasping at straws and taking whatever she could get. Without a second thought, for worse or for better, she latched onto Kara and her friends like a moth to a flame. She never hesitated, and this proved to be her own undoing. Her desperation to be loved blinded her. Her fear of being forever alone kept her willfully in the dark. As long as she felt like she belonged, she was happy, all else be chuffed. So she began to ignore, deny, overlook, misconstrue or forgive any misgivings she ever had about any of them, especially Kara. Kara, whom she saw as her pillar and rock, was like an angel in her eyes. Kara could do no wrong.

Lena intentionally blinded herself to all of Kara's lies and faults, but when her eyes were finally ripped open and forced to see the ugly truth, the pedestal upon which she had placed Kara came crashing down into ashes and dust. Lena could no longer ignore or deny the cold hard facts. Kara had been the most deceitful of all, the ringleader of the lies, the one who willingly kept Lena out of the circle for all of these years. The one secret that the entire family knew never once reached Lena's ears. All along, she had been all alone, the only one to not know, the only one to be on the outside, even though she used to think that she had been part of the family. Apparently not. She was still alone.

"How can I ever forgive them? How can I ever forget?" she asked herself brokenly as she sat alone at her desk in L-Corp. She held her head in one hand and held an empty glass in the other. Beneath the glass was the shattered picture of herself and Kara, which she, herself, had smashed while drinking the scotch that used to be in the glass. There were no tears in her eyes because she couldn't even cry anymore. She was too emotionally drained and empty. She could only stare unseeingly at the shattered picture and wonder, wonder why. Why. Why this had to happen. And why it _always_ did happen. And why it always happened to _her._ They said that there was no rest for the wicked. What did it mean for and about Lena? Her vision was hazy, her thoughts were unclear and unfocused. Everything and nothing. All at once. She could only sit there and stare and wonder. Wonder why. She rubbed her temples again, the glass still held loosely in her other hand. The picture of her and Kara had been shattered.

Very late into that night, Samantha Arias woke up to hear her phone ringing.

"Mmmph," she moaned tiredly before reluctantly rolling over to see who on Earth was calling her so late. Then her eyes widened in surprise.

"Lena Luthor?" she asked into the phone, sitting up at once and answering it the moment she read the name. She wasn't tired anymore.

"Sam?" on the other end, Lena's voice was unreadable.

"Hi. What's up?" Lena couldn't see her, but Sam was wearing a very confused, wary, nervous expression as she greeted her boss.

"Nothing, I- I- I just wanted to talk to you," Lena's voice was low and smooth, just like always, but Sam could already tell that something was really wrong (aside from the fact that this was Lena Luthor calling her at 2 AM). Sam's maternal instincts shot off like a rocket.

"What is it, Lena?" she asked, voice hardening just a little. For a moment, there was only silence, but right before Sam could ask again, Lena spoke.

"How do you forgive-? How do you...? Have you ever been kept in the dark by someone? By someone that you love?" she asked, a new note of pain slipping into her voice as she tried to speak to Sam without revealing too much.

Sam, though, of course, caught onto Lena's first question immediately. She was mother to a teenage girl, she knew all too well when there was something troubling someone that they didn't want to come out and talk about just yet. Similarly, though, she also knew never to push the troubled person in question, so she allowed her curiosity and Lena's eerie question to slide. For then.

"What do you mean?" she instead asked, hoping Lena's clarification might help her understand what the heck was going on over there.

"Has anyone you loved ever kept a secret from you?" Lena clarified, speaking a bit louder this time, though Sam could still hear a very vulnerable and sore note in her voice. She sounded like a glass, sturdy and solid, but very easily breakable.

"What do you mean? In what way?" Sam repeated, now she felt bad for prying so much, but she really did not know how to answer Lena's question. She heard Lena sigh frustratedly and felt bad, but the Luthor willingly explained anyway. Lena understood that the question had been very vague and very loaded. Of course Sam wouldn't be able to understand without context.

"There was a person, no, _people_ , that I loved. Very much so, in fact. Only now I've just found out that they've been keeping secrets from me for this entire time. This entire time that we've been friends, almost like family, they have all been keeping me out and keeping me in the dark. Have you ever had that happen to you, Sam? Have you ever had that happen where your entire world has been hiding from you? Do you have any idea what that feels like? To realize that you are all alone, and the only one?" Lena's words were jumbled and cold, her voice managed to sound angry, sad, hurt, scared, broken and utterly empty all at once, bouncing back and forth and all over the place. She was demanding and sharp, but not angry. It was almost like she was genuinely asking if Sam had ever been hurt before, and of course, the surface-level answer was yes.

Yes, Sam had been hurt before. And she'd been hurt deeply as well. And she'd been hurt by family and friends and loved ones, just like Lena. But even though the surface answer was yes, Sam could already feel it in her soul that her answer was not going to be enough. That "yes" was not necessarily the answer Lena wanted to hear. At least not without further elaboration. This was an answer as complicated as its question, and there would be no easy or simple path to an explanation, especially not if the chat was occurring over the phone and in the middle of the night. This was the kind of talk she would have with Ruby when Ruby came home from school in a depressive state because some of her friends had stabbed her in the back. This was the kind of talk that required physical and direct interaction. This was not a conversation to have over the phone.

Sam addressed this issue first, calmly and respectfully telling Lena that they would get nowhere in this conversation that night. There was just too much to unpack and it was the type of conversation that had to occur face to face. She gently told the Luthor to wait for her, and if the emergency was really that bad, she would head over to National City right then. She could afford one day off from work. But if Lena could wait, then Sam could visit tomorrow night.

"We can't talk now," she said gently. "There's just too much to say and I need to be there with you in person to do that. Do you think you can hold on until tomorrow? And then we can talk? Properly? And in person?"

Lena hadn't liked that idea, but she understood Sam's logic. This really was the type of talk where the speakers needed to be able to see and touch one another. A distant phone call at 2 AM, when thoughts were still jumbled by sleep and stress, was not a good way to start any talk, especially not one like this. So with a heavy sigh, Lena agreed, yielding and clinging onto Sam's promised visit like a lifeline. It would be all that got her through the following day. But Sam didn't hang up before offering to at least listen to Lena's story if there was something that she really did need to get out that could not wait until the next night.

"I won't hang up just yet," Sam promised. "So if there is anything you want to at least start right now, I'm all ears."

"Thank you, Sam, but that won't be necessary," Lena replied, strained and pained. "You are right that we should wait until tomorrow. I just need to sleep things off right now. But I promise I will be better in the morning. I look forward to seeing you," then before Sam could say anything else, the line went dead. Sam could only stare down at the phone in confusion and concern, but since she knew that Lena would not wish to speak again until tomorrow, she could only set her phone back down worriedly and try to go back to sleep. Lena, meanwhile, stayed up all night crying, all alone.


	2. Never Alone

The next day was like torture on Lena. Even though it was uneventful and typical, her whole world had been so turned upside down that this lack of anything out of the ordinary almost made it all the worse. It was like losing a loved one to death. Even though that loved one was gone, the rest of the world kept on turning like normal. The sun would rise and shine, the birds would chirp, the cars would speed on down roads, businesses would be run, transactions would be made, smiles would be shared, people would talk, phones would ring, the Earth would spin. Everything and nothing had changed and the normality of this day almost felt like another cruel, mocking blow from life onto poor Lena's weary shoulders. She almost wished that something crazy _would_ happen just to take her mind off of this numbing abyss it was currently trapped in.

"Sam's coming, Sam's coming, Sam's coming," the Luthor continued to repeat to herself as she rubbed her temples again. The broken photo of her and Kara had been buried at the bottom of her desk's trashcan. Sam became Lena's last and only hope.

Finally, the long day ended and the glaring sun set, a mercifully dark and cool sky taking over the heavens. Lena left her office hastily, almost forgetting to finish her final tasks before she closed up the office for the day. She sped on home where Sam was already waiting for her.

"Lena!" Sam had been leaning up against her car when Lena arrived. Her eyes were warm and wide and there was a smile on her face, but Lena ignored all of it to run into Sam's arms, just holding her close and tight, clutching her as hard as she could, burying her face into her shoulder.

As expected, it thoroughly freaked Sam out, but Sam managed to keep her own composure and comfort Lena instead, knowing that for once, Lena needed to be the emotional one. She needed Sam to be the resilient one. She needed to get all of her feelings out and she needed Sam to help her on through. Sam would have to quash her own worries for now. But Sam was good at that. She'd had to help Ruby out of a lot of tough spots before. Sam knew how to comfort. She knew when to be emotional and when to hold back. Now was definitely one of the latter times.

A few minutes later, the two were back inside Lena's home, sitting side by side on the couch.

"Tell me everything," Sam insisted. "But please, do take your time first," she added. Lena obliged, just sitting there, sobbing for a solid 30 minutes. With every new tear shed and every new tissue used, Sam grew more and more concerned, but she hid her concern well, wearing only a tender and open expression as she watched Lena get all of her emotions out. She didn't say a word either, she just let it happen...

It had been a concern of Lena's, originally, that maybe Sam might've been in on Kara's secret as well, but that was part of why Lena had agreed to see Sam at all. Now that she had let her last strands of denial go, Lena was about to interrogate Sam on how much she knew regarding Kara and her dirty little secret. Since they were face to face, Lena would easily be able to tell if Sam was lying or not. She hoped against hope that Sam would pass the test and prove just as blindsided as Lena had been. But that truth was yet to be seen. If she could stop crying for more than two minutes, she could begin her mini investigation and try to learn how much Sam really knew...

10 minutes later, Lena was bawling again. Sam had proven herself innocent and ignorant. She, like Lena, had been in kept in the dark. The tears Lena shed now were a mixture of grief that Sam should've also been left in the dark, anger that Kara had lied to more than one person, and relief that, for once, she was not the only one to be mistrusted like this. She found it comforting and upsetting to realize that Kara had deceived Sam just as thoroughly and unrepentantly as she had deceived Lena. Then it made her wonder why. Why would Kara lie to her and Sam, but tell everyone else? All of them used to be part of the same friend group after all, and all of them knew about the alien-superpower-superhero stuff anyway, so why had Sam and Lena been the ones to be left untold? Why were they the ones Kara deceived?

It did occur to Lena briefly that this might've been because Sam used to be Reign, a Worldkiller, who was about as pleasant as her title entailed, but even before that discovery had been made and even after Sam was freed from Reign, Kara had not told Sam. And Lena knew this because she had carefully said and asked several things that would've made a guilty person slip up, but Sam innocently overshot all of Lena's little verbal tripwires and managed to prove that she, like Lena, had never been told the secret. Lena would forever be grateful for this.

At last, though, Lena did manage to stop crying long enough to properly, correctly and fully tell her story.

"You know that Kara and I have been close for years," she began.

"Yes," Sam nodded, even though it hadn't been a question.

"And you know that all of Kara's friends have been like my family just as much as she has," Lena continued. "J'onn, James, Winn, Alex..."

"Yes," Sam nodded again.

"Well, I thought we really were a family. Bound tighter than blood, by something far stronger: our love. I thought it was mutual. I thought we were all on the same playing field and that we all trusted each other. I thought we were family..." Lena trailed off with a wounded look again.

"But I was wrong," she continued and Sam only nodded gently, having expected Lena to say this. "It turns out, I've never been a part of their group. For all of our history together, after all we've done and been through, I was still the odd-one-out. I've always been on the outside, I just didn't realize it. I didn't _want_ to realize it..." Lena went on for a bit more, continuing to explain how she'd been left out of the loop on one very big and important detail that everyone else in her (ex) friend circle had known.

"They never told me. I was the only one. The only one who never knew. The only one who didn't, _doesn't_ , belong," she whispered, tears streaming down her face again. She didn't bother to wipe them away anymore. "After everything I've done, it was all for nothing. I was never ever a part of their family at all. It had all only ever been a lie, and I was too stupid and afraid to realize it."

Then at long last, Lena said it. She came out and said it. She said was the secret was.

"No one in that giant circle of friends ever told me that Kara Danvers is Supergirl." And Sam's stunned, disbelieving reaction only confirmed Lena's earlier suspicion that Sam genuinely hadn't known either.

"No!" she gasped.

"Yes," Lena replied brokenly, then she pulled out her phone, presumably to offer up proof. But Sam had believed Lena at once. Eyes like that could not lie. And the misery in her voice was a dead giveaway.

But Lena quickly went into her Photos App. There was not a single trace of Kara or any of their other old friends in there anymore. Instead, there were only videos.

"Surveillance," Lena said bitterly, handing Sam the phone.

"Oh my god," Sam breathed as she watched it unfold, a compilation of Kara using all of Supergirl's powers to defend L-Corp from an attack. And then it switched over to her destroying an underground bunker. Sam had no idea where it was located, but she knew that that detail didn't matter. What mattered was realizing who Kara really was...

Sam shook her head as the video came to an end. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Lena's pained and bitter smile.

"Me too," she said hollowly as she watched Sam shake her head. "Or at least... I used to be that way..." then her bitter smile turned into a genuinely betrayed frown. Now Sam understood. Now it all was clear to her. In that one simple frown, Sam saw a lifetime of pain and loneliness. She had already known how much Lena had loved Kara, and she had already known how soft and fragile Lena really was underneath her tough and scary exterior. Sam had already known what kind of person Lena was, and she could only imagine the emotional pain and turmoil that the poor Luthor was in right now. An uncovered truth of this caliber could not have been easy on someone like her, especially given all the surrounding and combing circumstances to make it that much more painful.

Sam started to shake her head again, but not in denial about Kara's true identity as Supergirl. This time, she was shaking her head at what this revelation had done to Lena. Sam still felt a deep sense of gratitude to Lena for saving her for Reign. She still felt eternally in debt to the Luthor. To see her now, hurting so much, made Sam's blood boil. She was doubly glad, then, that Reign was no longer part of her. No doubt, something like this would've brought Reign roaring to life, off to execute Kara for the crimes of dishonesty, deceit and betrayal. But even if Sam hadn't felt so loyal to Lena, Lena was such a genuinely and generally nice person that Sam wanted to protect and help her either way. Even if Reign had never been an issue, Sam still cared deeply for Lena. And she still knew that Lena did _not_ deserve the devastation Kara had brought upon her.

But Sam knew that now was not the time for anger. Now was the time for love. No matter how Sam felt, Lena was more important right now. Lena did not need a White Knight to slay the evil dragon. Lena needed a shoulder to cry on, and a rock to keep her grounded before her emotions swept her clean off her feet and into the endless abyss. So Sam set aside her own feelings and anger, allowing the bitterness to melt from her face and be replaced with nothing but tenderness, understanding and compassion. She even opened up her arms and Lena wasted no time in launching into them once again, sobbing anew. Sam only continued to hold her close and rub her back, empathetic tears glistening in her eyes.

At last, however, Lena managed to recover again. She was still miserable and lost and lonely, but thanks to Sam just sitting there and being with her, she managed to calm down once again.

"What am I going to do?" the Luthor finally asked, voice somewhat muffled by Sam's shoulder.

"I honestly don't know," Sam replied with a sigh. She could feel Lena bristle in her arms, clearly unpleased with that reply, but Sam continued to insist as such, refusing to give Lena poor advice or false hope. Better to tell the woman the truth than a lie. Better to admit that the situation was bleak rather than search for temporary solutions that would do nothing in the long run. Better to admit ignorance than bluff intelligence.

"This was a hard blow for you," Sam continued. "You won't recover over night. I don't know what to tell you and I have no advice to give on how you should proceed. All I can say is that you've been hurt deeply and, as with any wound, it's going to take a lot of time and attention and care to help it heal back up. It's going to be a slow and painful process, like with me and Reign, but that's all I can say about it."

"I know that!" Lena muttered dismissively. "I mean, what am I going to do _now_? Should I tell Kara that I know? Should I wait? Should I try to forgive and forget? Should I call her and the others out on it? Should I actually be allowed to get angry this time? I don't want to go back, but I have to! I have a company to run! I can't just run away! But how else am I supposed to face them? I'm all alone!"

"No," Sam whispered quickly as Lena spoke that last sentence. "No. You are _not_ alone. No matter how scared or angry or upset or defeated you feel, you are _never_ alone. You will always have me and Ruby, always," her voice had taken on a very firm quality that brooked no room for arguments. It was not a rough or fierce tone, but one full of strength, fire and reassurance. But Sam was very used to speaking in this way, having given many similar talks to Ruby, and to herself during her dark times as Reign.

She gripped Lena a little tighter as she continued to pledge her loyalty and support to the poor woman, and all the while, Lena had begun to cry yet again. To hear words like that, of such love and support, would forever be her greatest weakness. This was her Kryptonite, and even though the last few people who had promised their undying loyalty to her had betrayed her and lied to her, hearing someone else make similar promises still worked every single time. She melted even deeper into Sam's arms and basked in her promises.

It did occur to Lena that Sam could be lying, or that Sam might change her mind one day, but at the moment, Lena couldn't help but believe and feel truly safe and secure. After so much drama and turmoil and after so much family heartbreak and deceit, to finally find someone that she could trust unconditionally and who could (and did) trust her in return, seemed too good to be true. And she was even worried that this was the case. But Sam felt so solid, surrounding her from all sides, sheltering her from her troubles, that Lena couldn't help but believe every word.

Besides, Sam had been deceived and betrayed too. Not just by Kara, but by another Kryptonian as well: Reign. Even though Sam had literally been Reign, the way they were melded together meant that Sam was totally unaware of it. So she knew what it felt like, to know and trust someone completely only to learn that there was something wrong all along. Maybe the dynamic was a bit different, but Sam knew what it felt like to be tricked and used.

Sam knew what it felt like to be betrayed by someone she knew very well. She knew what it felt like to have the rug pulled out from underneath her. She knew what it felt like to go through such a crazy epiphany. She knew what it felt like to learn that something obvious had been lying there in plain sight all along. She knew the terror and anger and disbelief and fear and hurt and sorrow and shame and self-loathing and defeat all too well. Sam was no stranger to betrayal from someone close to her. Sam was no stranger to surprise reveals.

In short, Sam knew exactly how Lena felt. Sam's own initial disbelief and horror when hearing about Reign was very much like Lena's initial disbelief and horror when hearing about Supergirl. That was part of the reason why Lena felt so glad to be with Sam at the moment, and why she felt certain that Sam was not lying to her at all. They were in the same boat and for that, Lena was glad.

"I promise," Sam continued. "You are _never_ alone, because even if you don't always have anyone else, you will always have _us_."

"Thank you," Lena whispered back, tears in her eyes and her voice. She held onto Sam's arms, which were still tightly wrapped around her.


	3. Comfort From a Child

Sam and Lena continued to sit together in silence until Sam began to move.

"Where are you-?" Lena began, suddenly sounding frightened. She didn't think she could handle being left alone at the moment. She clutched tighter at Sam's arms, trying to keep her from moving away.

"Nowhere," Sam replied. "I just need to grab my phone from my pocket..." then she dialed up Ruby's number.

"Mom?" Ruby asked the moment she picked up the phone.

"Hi Honey," Sam replied, unable to stop a smile. Just hearing Ruby's voice always brought a peace and joy to her that nothing else ever could.

"What's up?" her daughter asked. Sam turned the phone to speaker and set it down between herself and Lena so that Lena could hear Ruby.

"I'm with Lena," she replied. Then her smile changed into a smirk of amusement. She already knew exactly what was going to-

"Oh! Really? Well! Tell her I said hi!" Ruby chirped, then before Sam had time to agree, Ruby did it herself. "Hi Lena! I don't know if you can hear me, but hi! I hope you're doing well! Mom and I really miss you sometimes! But it's awesome that Mom gets to see you again. I wish I could've been there!" then Sam only gave Lena a knowing wink before speaking again.

"Actually," she said. "If you want to talk to Lena, I'm sure she'd be more than happy to speak with you!" she said.

"Oh! Sure!" Ruby answered eagerly. Then, while she waited for Lena to greet her, Sam nodded towards the phone.

"What? Are you crazy? What is this all about?" Lena mouthed back, eyeing the phone nervously, as though she expected Ruby to somehow be able to see her.

"Talk to her," Sam whispered with another look towards the phone. "I want to prove to you that we _both_ love you, deeply."

"But-" Lena mouthed again, but when Sam only shook her head and silently reminded her that Ruby was waiting, Lena panicked.

"Hi Ruby," she said quickly, leaning closer to the phone.

"Lena!" once again, that cheerful voice filled Lena's home. It made her heart flutter, with nerves and with affection.

"How are you doing?" she asked meekly.

"I'm doing wonderfully!" Ruby replied. "And you?"

"Ah, just fine," Lena lied. Sam gave her a slightly disapproving look, but made no move to correct her.

"How come you didn't tell me you were going to have my mom visit? I would've come too!" Ruby cried next.

"Well, it was business," Lena continued to lie.

"That's what she told me too, but I wouldn't have been in the way," Ruby replied. "I would've gone to visit Alex if you wanted!" just for a second, then, a flash of pain seared across Lena's face. Sam cringed as well, feeling guilty that Ruby had accidently brought up such a poor topic. But Lena quickly regained her composure and continued to speak to Ruby calmly.

"Don't you have school?" she asked, knowing that the girl was about 13 by now.

"Well, yeah, but that would've been half the fun of seeing you! No school!" Ruby replied with a laugh, and for the first time that night, Lena couldn't help but smile along. She was still hurting deeply, but something about Ruby's innocent cheerfulness was infectious.

"Are you sure that's _all_ you were excited for?" Sam interrupted then, leaning back over to the phone.

"Well, no, of course not!" Ruby replied with an embarrassed huff. "It would've also been nice to see you again too, Lena!" she said, addressing the Luthor once more. "It really has been too long, and I remember you were so nice to me and my mom when we needed you. I wouldn't have minded seeing you again too. You're a really cool and sweet person!"

Sam sat back with a satisfied smile, her plan going just the way she had hoped. Wanting to prove that Ruby cared for Lena just as much as Sam did, Sam had called Ruby, knowing full well that just talking about Lena would make Ruby smile. Lena had been one of Ruby's friends and protectors during the Reign scare after all. Ruby only had fond memories of the Luthor, and Sam knew that those memories would come spilling out if she was prompted correctly.

So while Sam sat back and watch Lena receive comfort from a child, Ruby continued to gush to and about Lena, unaware of just how deeply her sincere words were affecting the Luthor, who had since covered her mouth to keep from sobbing. Her body convulsed as she listened to Ruby continue to speak fondly of her and she had to lean away from the phone just so her tears wouldn't hit it. It was then that she found herself infinitely relieved that Sam had not chosen to FaceTime Ruby, because now Lena was a weeping mess again.

"Alright honey, we have to go now," Sam said eventually, trying not to laugh as Lena continued to weep into her hands. "We just wanted to say a quick hello to you and I wanted to tell you that I should be back home before you finish school tomorrow."

"Ok!" Ruby replied cheerfully. Since she had known that her mother was going away on a business trip (even though she hadn't quite known what that entailed) she was staying over at a friend's house that night. She was glad to know her mother would be coming back so soon though, even if she was a little disappointed that no one had told her sooner just where she was going and who she was visiting.

"See you tomorrow, dear," Sam said. "I love you!"

"Love you too, Mom. Goodnight," Ruby replied fondly, then she addressed Lena. "And goodnight to you too, Lena! I hope everything goes well for the rest of mom's business trip and I hope you guys have a good time. Sleep well!" and Lena managed to swallow her tears for five seconds.

"Yes, Ruby, thank you, and goodnight to you too! Sweet dreams!" she said, but the second she finished speaking, she buried her face in her hands again. Sam watched with an affectionate smile and then she ended the call with Ruby.

"See?" she asked as she returned her phone to her pocket. "Didn't I tell you? You still have people out there who love you and who love you genuinely. And I can assure you that Ruby doesn't know Supergirl's true identity anymore than I did. I won't tell her, unless you want me to."

"That's ok, I don't mind," Lena whimpered and gasped through her tears, latching back onto Sam now that the phone call was over. Sam smiled and obliged to hug Lena right back, wrapping her arms comfortingly around the Luthor once more.

"That call was more than enough for me," Lena's voice broke and cracked on nearly every word of that sentence as she drenched Sam's shirt for about the fourth or fifth time that night, but Sam only smiled. She knew that her little baby would come through for them. She knew that Ruby's fondness of Lena was genuine. Even if Ruby had spent more time with Alex during that Reign ordeal, Lena had also been a huge helper during that time. Sam knew that Ruby's gratefulness and fondness for the Luthor would last just as long as her own did.

The two continued to sit in silence while Lena sniffled, eyes and heart burning with pain and love. As much as Sam understood, she would never be able to understand just how much this one night was starting to mean for Lena. She would also never understand just how much that phone call with Ruby meant to her either, and nor would Ruby. No word in any of the languages that Lena knew would ever fully or properly convey the deep amount of love and gratitude she felt for the support she was receiving from that mother-daughter duo. Ruby really was such a good, sweet kid and it made Lena's heart soar like nothing else to think that she could still be seen as a good, loveable and worthy person in the eyes of a child.

"I can't believe I forgot," she continued to speak in short, gaspy breaths.

"Forgot what?" Sam asked gently as she looked down at Lena, running her fingers through Lena's dark locks soothingly.

"That I still am loved and that I still do have friends," she answered, voice breaking once again. But where words failed her, actions did not, and she began to squeeze Sam tightly again. Lena had always valued Sam's friendship, but tonight, it had become unspeakably and impossibly vital and valued. Tonight, it was _the_ most important thing in her entire world at the moment. Sam's friendship was unequivocally important to the Luthor right now and she was grateful beyond words that Sam was still on her side, even when nobody else was.

Lena quickly began to feel like the night when she and Sam had first started talking (it was like 3:00 in the morning and Sam's office was the only one with the lights still on) was the best night of her life, and the decision to partner up with Sam had been the best choice of her life. If she could no longer consider Kara a friend, ally or gift, then Sam would step up and take that pedestal back. Sam would become the one yet to ever hurt or betray Lena. She would become the one Lena valued above all others, the one who helped her when nobody else would. She would become the best thing and best decision in the Luthor's life. Even though this was a very dangerous thing to think and do, Lena couldn't help it. She had a bad habit of idolizing people, forgetting that every human made mistakes, but it was a flaw she did not seem capable of overcoming. Sam had become her new hero, for worse or for better, and the world could only hope that Sam would prove far more honest than Kara.

The comfort from a child had really been what began to change Lena's heart and mind that night though. Although Sam's wise and wonderful words had already done miracles in helping Lena feel a little bit better and more hopeful, that impromptu call with Ruby had been what really did it. And that was exactly why! It was impromptu! Unscripted! Totally sincere and honest and genuine. That was exactly the sort of thing Lena needed at moment, and boy did the two Ariases deliver! Sam could only continue to smile in satisfaction, knowing what a profound effect her daughter had on Lena. Lena, meanwhile, continued to weep and whimper into Sam's shirt, feeling so blessed that even in a dark time like this, there were at least two people out there who genuinely loved her, and whom she could actually count on.


	4. Moving Forward

But as wonderful as that little chat with Ruby had been, the high of it all faded away eventually and that somber sadness returned to the atmosphere surrounding the two women. Sam continued just to hold Lena close and stroke her hair while Lena continued to focus on Sam's heartbeat. Heaven knew she didn't care about her own anymore. But once again, she couldn't help but ask the question that Sam had tried to brush off earlier before they called Ruby.

"What am I going to do?" she sighed, sounding more hopeless than afraid now. But just like before, Sam had no answer for that.

"I can't tell you," she sighed ruefully. "This is a hard question and I have no answer."

"But don't you at least have a little advice? Or any suggestion at all?" Lena pressed hollowly.

"Unfortunately, I do, but you aren't going to like any of them," Sam replied.

"Ah. You're going to tell me I should forgive and forget," Lena muttered, forehead wrinkling as she frowned.

"No, no," Sam corrected. "I'm going to tell you that you need to confront this issue head on. You're going to need to talk to Kara ASAP and tell her everything you know. It may feel natural to you to want to start keeping your own secrets in retaliation, but that's going to get you nowhere in this fight, except even deeper into trouble than you already are," she said.

"What?" Lena recoiled and, for the first time that night, vengeance and anger crept into her voice. She sat up out of Sam's arms defiantly.

"You may feel like this is unfair, and that _Kara_ should come to _you_ and not the other way around, and I do agree with that," Sam continued calmly, letting Lena sit up, but refusing to let her go off just yet. "You have every right to be mad and hurt, but I'm asking you for your own sake that you do not become vengeful over this. Just go in there and address it. You can't wait around anymore in the hopes that Kara might tell you. If she hasn't told you yet, she never will, so the best way to deal with it now is for _you_ to take the lead and make the first move, as unfair as that is," Sam continued to advise. "If you want to get anywhere at all, you need to start moving forward right now. Don't wait around anymore. It's not going to be easy or fun or pleasant or happy, but at least it'll get you somewhere."

"But I don't want to take the initiative!" Lena almost whined. "Why should _I_ have to answer for _her_ mistakes?"

"You shouldn't," Sam replied, still calm. "But at the rate things are going, if you want to get anywhere, you're going to have to."

Lena heaved an angry, frustrated sigh, slouching and running tired fingers through frazzled hair.

"I know it can't be easy," Sam consoled. "But we both know it's the only way anything will change or come to some sort of conclusion, no matter how unsavory that conclusion may be."

"I know, I know," Lena promised with a defeated sigh. "I just don't think I'm ready..."

"Well, don't push yourself before you're ready," Sam replied. "I just mean that you can't wait forever. Take as much time as you need, but the moment you feel ready, go for it."

"But what should I say? What should I do?" Lena pleaded.

"Everything that Kara didn't," Sam replied again. "Be honest, direct and determined. Don't be forceful, aggressive, pushy or vengeful. But do be assertive and get a little angry. Not enough to make the rift between you any bigger, but enough to fuel some fire to your argument."

Lena paused for a moment, although Sam's ideas were still very unsavory to her, to hear Sam suggesting that she actually actively get angry before, during and after her confrontation with Kara caught her interest. It was something she had never been recommended before.

"It's because you have a _right_ to get angry," Sam explained in response to Lena's surprised and confused expression. "You have a right to be mad and hurt. You have a right to feel like something unfair and unjust has happened to you, because it has! You have a right to feel your emotions. You don't have to keep hiding them away or trying to suppress them. You deserve to feel every single negative thought and emotion to its fullest."

"Can't say that's advice normally give to a Luthor," Lena snarked.

"It's not advice normally give to a Wordkiller either," Sam replied, and this made Lena pause again. Sam only gave her another pained smile before continuing. "I cannot speak for Kara or her upbringing or her conflicting identities, but I can speak for myself and my own life. Much like you, and her, I was a very lonely and isolated child growing up. I was always the weird one, even though none of my Kryptonian powers had manifested yet. At least as far as I knew. But either way, that sort of environment left its marks on me. It made me bitter and resentful, but then I was made to feel ashamed of that anger. So I bottled it up and it festered like an untreated sore. It really was only after I became pregnant with Ruby that I finally took a stand for and to myself, admitting that I deserved a good life and I deserved all of my pain and anger. I didn't hold back anymore. It set me free, and gave me the best gift I could've ever gotten..."

Sam paused to smile tenderly as she thought about Ruby. Meanwhile, Lena stared at her, enchanted and entranced with the story and lesson that Sam was telling to her. It was definitely a new one.

"But I do admit that _maybe_ I could've handled my anger better," Sam continued, a flash of bitterness marring her warm and fond smile. "I don't deny my anger, nor do I regret or defy it. I just wish that I hadn't been so accusatory and vengeful. When I finally lashed out, it all came crashing down upon my mother's head. I think, even now, to some extent, we both knew that she deserved at least some of it, but I was just so hateful by then that I didn't even stop to think and try to find a better way to communicate with her. That lead to our estrangement..."

Once again, Sam trailed off, a dark look in her eyes. Lena had almost forgotten that Sam came from a broken home too, and that Sam had also suffered the pains of not fitting into a family before being coldly kicked to the curb after a disagreement went too far. And like Lena's own mother, Sam had been abandoned by the man who got her pregnant. Lena briefly wondered if Sam realized how much she resembled Lena's birthmother, not just in story, but in personality, wisdom and compassion.

"I was so angry that I didn't harness my rage for good or for improvement. I didn't work with it, I let it control me, and that's the one thing I do regret about all of that," she confessed, finishing her story. "So please, Lena, do get angry. Do feel all of your resentment. And bring it all forward to Kara. That anger will only serve you and help you get across how deeply this affected you. But please, please, please don't let it control you. I'm not telling you this because you are a Luthor, I am telling you this because you are a human. Be angry, but be aware. Be forward and assertive, but be willing and open. Be ready to talk and fight, but be ready to surrender and compromise. Stand your ground, hold your position, make your feelings known, but don't do it to an excess. Stay humble."

As Sam continued to offer up these suggestions, Lena finally began to let it all sink in. She was still incredibly mad at Kara and incredibly stung by this secret and its subsequent dramatic reveal (she had a shattered photo of them sitting in her office's trashcan to prove that) but Sam's lesson about the good, helpful and necessary side to anger really resonated with her. It was a good idea. And it just might work...

She still had no idea how or when she was going to confront Kara, but with Sam's words echoing around her head, she simply knew that she would get to it eventually (since Kara didn't seem to plan on confronting it any time soon) and she would not hold back. She would not sink to petty vengeance, but there would be no mercy from her this time. Like Sam said, she deserved to be angry. She deserved to rip into Kara at least a little, and she would... eventually.

"And if you think about it, Reign kind of helped me figure all of this out too," Sam continued. "I know she was a monster and I know she was an enemy and I know all of us wanted nothing more than to get rid of her and all her little vicious friends, but being stuck inside my own mind with only her for company did leave me with a lot to think about. If you really think about it, what is Reign other than a twisted sense of justice?"

"What?" Lena scoffed despite herself, but Sam only kept on talking, unbothered by Lena's harsh dismissal of her point.

"She showed me how easily good traits can twist into something negative. Similarly, that revealed to me that the inverse is also true: bad traits can be used for good," she said. "Think of it this way, Reign wanted nothing more than to serve, protect and do good. Sure, she had a terrible, no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners mentality, but she wasn't going on rampages just for fun or for power."

This gave Lena yet another pause. Sam _did_ have a point. As Reign herself had said, she had not come for power or control, just justice. A vigilante justice, but justice nonetheless. The only people she killed were bad people, or people who stood in her way (which she had equated to being bad because to stand against her was to stand against justice and to stand against justice was to stand beside evil). Reign, violent as she had been, had only wanted to do good.

"I think some of that might apply to Kara," Sam mused. Lena bristled a little when she heard Sam try and defend Kara, but she allowed Sam to explain. "Maybe what Kara did was not malicious, but a twisted sort of love. After all, everything that can think ahs made at least one misjudgment before," she said. "Maybe Kara did what she thought was best, even though it clearly wasn't."

"That doesn't make up for anything!" Lena shot back coldly.

"I know that," Sam promised calmly. "I'm just trying to figure out where she's coming from. You need to know you opponent before you can engage properly with them. And I can't speak for Kara at all, but I can theorize..."

"Fair enough," Lena replied, crossing her arms and grunting. Although she hated to admit it, Sam had a point.

It was clear that she, personally, didn't to hear _any_ justification for Kara's actions, no matter how valid they were, and Sam understood this because she agreed that Kara had a lot to answer for, but perhaps because Sam also knew what it felt like to be half human and half alien, she could still sympathize with Kara. She agreed that Kara's actions had been wrong, but she pitied Kara instead of growing angry. The way she saw it, maybe Kara had only chosen to hide out of fear. It wasn't easy to be a hybrid. Even if Kara embraced her alien side (unlike Sam), Sam was certain that Kara's Kryptonian nature had still caused her at least a bit of trauma and trouble in the past. Sam could understand that, and she could understand why Kara might keep her identity a secret. Sam, herself, had been none too pleased to learn about her own alien alter ego, although to be fair, hers had been a whack-job vigilante. At least Kara was good.

"All three of us know what it feels like to not fit in," Sam murmured. "All of us are, or have been, stuck between two worlds."

"True," Lena relented, but only just a little. She held more sympathy for Sam than Kara even though the two had relatively similar stories. But Sam was right, all three of them had been misfits in their own homes, outcast and lonely, scared of who they were and what the world would think if they ever found out. Lena could see Sam's point on that. Maybe Kara's actions had been driven by fear and love instead of mistrust and cruelty. Maybe Sam had a point that good emotions could become bad and vice versa. Maybe Kara was no happier than Sam was with Reign. Maybe Lena could start to understand and start moving forward... Maybe... But not just yet.

By the end of the night, however, all thoughts and words had been exhausted. There was still a lot left to say and a lot left to do, but Sam instinctive knew that it could not be rushed and that everything that could've been said tonight had been said. Lena was no longer crying, she had the reassurance and validation that she was never alone, Sam had been able to explain her own take on the story and theorize on what was going on in Kara's head and they had made a small plan for moving forward. There was nothing else left to do for that particular discussion. The rest had to wait for another day. There was something unsatisfactory about realizing that the conversation was over for the night, but it still had managed to get so much done that both Sam and Lena felt a little bit better than they had a couple hours ago.

"Thank you again, Sam, so much. I don't think I can ever repay you or properly express how grateful I am that you did this for me," Lena sighed, nothing but sincerity and humility in her voice now. She lowered her eyes and bowed her head.

"Well, you could always turn over L-Corp to me or let me retire early," Sam said with a laugh. This earned a small chuckle from Lena, which in Sam's mind, was the biggest achievement of the night.

"We'll see," the Luthor replied. "I might just insist that we trade posts. You work here in National City and I'll go back to Metropolis. We can switch apartments and everything!" she snickered despite herself.

"I'll keep that as an option," Sam replied with a smile and a nod, but then she grew serious once again. "In all honesty, though, you don't have to pay me back for anything. Consider this _my_ payment to _you_ for helping me with Reign."

"Friends don't keep tabs like that!" Lena shook her head with a gentle smile.

"Good. Then you understand why I won't accept any payment for this," Sam replied, gesturing between the two of them. Lena's smile grew.

"You really are a blessing to have and to know, Sam," she muttered.

"As are you, believe me," Sam promised, reaching out to squeeze Lena's arm fondly. Lena narrowed her eyes slightly, still not quite sure if she trusted Sam, or what she had just said, but she knew enough to let it be for tonight and just take the compliment without complaint, even if she didn't quite believe in it herself.

After much arguing, Sam slept on the couch while Lena took the bed. Lena had wanted to repay Sam by allowing her the bedroom over the couch, but Sam continually insisted that she was fine with the couch and unless Lena was willing to pick her up and drag her into the bedroom, she wasn't going to budge. Lena had halfway considered it, but she finally decided not to, instead pretending to accuse Sam of being stubborn and hardheaded before they parted ways for the night, one remaining in the living room and one headed for the bedroom.


	5. The Call

The next morning, Lena seemed at least to be more peaceful, serene and content. The discomfort and disgust still hovered around her like a mourner's shroud, but it was not nearly as volatile as the previous night. It was clear that Sam had done wonders for her and helped ease her mind at least a little, at least temporarily. Lena was able to smile that next morning as she made herself and Sam some breakfast. Although Sam was planning on going back to her home in Metropolis, she was more than happy to share one last meal with the Luthor before she left.

"Feel free to visit any time," Sam said as she and Lena ate breakfast. "My door is always open and I'm sure Ruby would be delighted to see you."

"I'll keep that as an option," Lena replied with a gentle and grateful smile. She paused to reach over and squeeze Sam's hand. She really did feel so much better now and she was infinitely relived to know that she would always have a place of refuge to run to if things back here in National City ever became overwhelming or unbearable. If National City could not be her home, then Metropolis (or at least, its L-Corp building) could.

Then it came time for the painful and teary farewells. Many hugs and kisses were exchanged, mingled with promises and words of affirmation, love, support and last-second reminders.

"Stay safe!"

"Travel swiftly!"

"Call me when you get home!"

"Visit soon!"

"I'll miss you!"

"Hopefully we'll meet up again soon!"

"Thank you!"

"Goodbye!"

"Good luck!"

Back and forth the little adages shot as the two old friends continued to embrace, neither wanting to be the first to let go. But once they finally parted, Sam whispered one final word of wisdom to Lena as she got into her car.

"I know Kara has hurt you deeply and, like I said, you do have every right to be angry at her and there is no shame if you do decide to sever ties with her forever, because you have no obligation to stay friends with someone who no longer feel comfortable around, but I implore you first to keep your eyes open. See if anything in your history with her was ever real, because I honestly think it was. Even if you don't anymore. There are a few memories I have of Kara and I am certain that at least part of her affection for you was serious and sincere. Don't let that go away just because you are angry with her. Keep those good memories in mind when you talk to her. Remember how much you mean to each other and how much you have done together already. Remember how much she genuinely loves you."

"Loves me," Lena echoed, trying her best to take Sam's words of wisdom to heart.

"Yes. Loves you," Sam replied calmly. "Like I said, I can't speak for you or her, but I firmly believe that there was at least one time when Kara genuinely liked you. I mean, I think there was more than just _one_ moment, but my point is that I want you to hang onto that. Don't forget everything you've been through now. Keep it close. See if anything else measures up. See how much else might have been real between the two of you..." Then with that, Sam finally backed up out of the driveway and headed off. Lena watched her go long after she was out of sight.

When Lena finally returned inside, her heart and mind and eyes all felt heavy once again. With Sam gone, her anxieties had returned. She slumped over her kitchen table with a heavy sigh. Although Sam's words made her bristle, she felt grateful enough to Sam that she was willing to at least give those ideas one little shot. She would try. She would honestly try. She would try to see the good in Kara and she would try to understand where the girl, the _Kryptonian_ , was coming from. She would try to remember all of their good memories. She would try to figure out what else was genuine in all of that. She would try to be patient and understanding. She would try to see any potential love Kara felt for her. And she would try to see it with an open, honest, willing heart...

As Lena went through the rest of her quiet and lonely day, she found all of thoughts pointing to Kara and any potential future encounter between the two of them. But occasionally, her thoughts slipped into the past. She couldn't help but feel like Sam was right. All of the memories Lena had of Kara (and Supergirl) were mostly positive. Even if they weren't necessarily happy, as far as Lena could remember, the two had always been there for each other when it mattered the most. No matter what bad blood ever got between them, they always managed to come out on top in the end. That didn't make her feel any better about this recent dark discovery, but it did give her something new to think about.

Even if Kara had been lying to her this entire time (and that fact would definitely be something Lena would never forget), it didn't seem as if Kara had been lying to her completely. Like Sam said, there seemed to eb some measure of genuine love between Kara and Lena. That much had not been falsified. If that were the case, then, what else had been true in Kara's feelings for Lena? Although Lena loathed the fact that she had to examine her own (ex) best friend like this, it did intrigue her to some degree. How much of it was real? How much was a lie? And if it turned out that Kara did genuinely love Lena, despite lying to her for all these years, what would Lena feel and think then?

What if, like Sam said, Kara's lies had been a twisted sense of love in the same way Reign's rampages had been a twisted sense of justice? That didn't make Kara's actions any more acceptable or right, but it did make them understandable. And as Lena continued to ponder these things, she suddenly remembered all the things that Kara had ever said to her...

"You are too good and too smart to follow in her footsteps! Be your own hero!"

"So... my office is overflowing with flowers!"

"I will always protect you, I promise."

"Kara Danvers believes in you."

"You are one of the strongest women I know!"

"No! I'm not gonna drop you!"

"When you're family, you can say what you need to say and the people that love you, still will love you."

"Take me. Take me instead! Please!"

"The Luthor name doesn't deserve Lena!"

"No, you are _not_ weak! You are a brilliant, kindhearted, _beautiful_ soul."

"We will _always_ be on the same side."

There were so many more things and Lena remembered every last one of them. Was all of that really false? This was something she could not be sure of. She was certain that at least some of Kara's affection had been real. But the problem still remained: that affection was not strong enough to trust Lena with her secret identity. That was what hurt the most. And it hurt even more to realize how many other people were in on it, all agreeing to keep silent as well, leaving Lena as the only one in the friend group that was out of the loop. It was that loneliness and isolation. It was that status as an outsider. That was what hurt the most. Maybe Lena could forgive the secrets and the lies. Maybe she could see Kara as a girl who made mistake. But could she forgive such a complete, intricate and total betrayal? This was something she could not be sure of. And now that left her right back at square one once again.

For the rest of the day, even though Sam's words continued to ring in her head, so did Kara's and Lex's and her own. Every last word about Supergirl that anyone had ever said to Lena came to the surface of her mind. It very loud up there with so many voices each pulling her in different directions, but she could do nothing but listen to them all. Unfortunately, since every voice did end up pulling her in different directions, she was not able to make any progress through speculation alone. It was circular logic and something always put her back at square one.

Lena heaved another sigh. It seemed that the only way she would be able to make any sort of plans for the next step would be if and when she finally just went in there and confronted Kara about the secret. It frustrated and terrified her to no end, but there was literally nothing else she could do at this point except get it over with. This confrontation had to happen and it had to be the next step, even though Lena badly wished that anything else could help her hold it off just for a little while longer...

Lena could still feel Sam hugging her close, telling her that it was ok to be angry, just as long she did not forget to love. She could hear Sam reminding her about all the adventures she and Kara had survived... together. She could remember Sam's words and comfort. She could remember Ruby's innocent adoration of Lena. She could remember Sam's advice and maternal warmth.

Then Lena could remember all the years she spent alone, as the only one, of everything! And then Sam had become her "only one". In that one little night together, Sam had become the new "only one", only this time it was a good thing. She was the only one. The only one to still be Lena's friend. The only one Lena could turn to. The only one who really listened to Lena. The only one who understood Lena. The only one who could offer up any sort of advice or comfort at all. The only who could make Lena smile anymore. The only one Lena still loved and trusted completely. The only one Lena felt safe or happy with.

"The only one," she whispered to the woman who wasn't there. "You were the only one to be my friend through all of it. You were the only one to talk to. And you were the only one to talk to me..."

Sam's voice finally trumped all of the others in Lena's mind. First hers faded, then Lex's, then Kara's and one by one her mind went silence again. Now it was only Sam, whispering words of encouragement, affirmation, friendship and hope. She gave Lena a mission... and an offer. Lena nodded at the ideas. Then she picked up the phone. The shattered picture of her and Kara was still resting at the bottom of the trashcan in her office. She made the call. She dialed a number... and she waited...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Just a very long ReignCorp/SuperCorp fic that I (and Lena) really needed after 4x22. As you can see, that ep really left my SuperCorp heart shaking. This is my second one behind the Carmilla/Supergirl crossover I posted just a few hours ago. 
> 
> I wish this would be canon, but I doubt we'll ever see Sam again, which is unfortunate, because I really liked her. And she did seem like Lena's only other friend aside from Kara. They made a great trio in S3. I would die to see this scene unfold IRL. They all really could use it, and Sam honestly would be a great character in this situation. 
> 
> Also, the only reason this is in chapters was because I didn't want to slam out a 11,000 word story all at once. The chapters make it a bit easier to read.


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